The issue of unequal school systems is not new. In fact, it's getting really old. So much is being talked about, but progress towards a solution is slow. That progress could be so much faster if not for bureaucratic red tape and meddling teacher's union that fight for teachers to continue to teach our children regardless of how ineffective and downright detrimental they are. But no, this is not about school systems, not today. Today is about the media, and the sub-issue, if you will of unequal schooling.

It is no secret that some schools in the U.S. are better than others. They have higher graduation rates, higher GPAs, and more of their students go on to college. It is also no secret that many of the lower performing schools are in urban areas, areas that are populated by minorities. And it is consequently no secret that because of a variety of situations, and more often than not through no fault of their own, minority public school students perform at lower levels than their suburban and private/charter school contemporaries. But this is as far as most media will go to talk about the issue of unequal schooling. Which is unfortunate, because as far as I'm concerned, this isn't the real issue at all.

In the February 27, 2011 Washington Post, Fredrick Kunkle wrote a piece titled, "Learning and Yearning", which, according to the Post's synopsis, is about "School vouchers in Virginia". But that's not what the article was really about. Instead, Kunkle talks about a proposed tax break for businesses that support and fund troubled public schools. Oddly enough, a leading opponent of the bill is "a hero of Virginia's civil rights movement: Sen. Henry L. Marsh III, a powerful black Democrat who represents [the] Richmond district". Perhaps because of Marsh's status and position, the debate has resorted to the old reliable debate of race. The black community is angry with Marsh because apparently, as a black man, he is supposed to blindly support this bill.

Now, there are two parts to my indignation with this article. First, I firmly believe that it is unreasonable and, quite frankly, shortsighted for anyone to think that Sen. Marsh, or anyone else for that matter, would support or opposed this bill based on his race. His reasoning is that the proposed bill would "likely help only a few students while stripping money from public education." (My opinion: isn't it better to help a few students than none at all? And if the money is coming from businesses, how does that strip money from public education?) My second issue with this article is that it takes the debate about this new bill and turns it into a monologue about the black community and how black/minority students are suffering in schools. While this deserves to be mentioned, it does not deserve to be the focus of this article, and having read and written about the issues facing schools (see my October 13 and 20 articles), Kunkle would have done better to make equal mention of the pros and cons of the proposed bill rather than the consequent racial divides.

Education will always be viewed as another public service sucking money out of the system, yet if money is taken out of the system to benefit a community, it can still be taken from education (look at Wisconsin eliminating teachers unions) Wisconsin teachers do get paid more on average than several other states, 70-80k for 9 months, in other states teachers can make 40-60k including benefits. Often they have to work 2nd jobs and in many states since it is "the teachers fault" teachers now have to return to school to get masters degrees as a way to prove they can teach. These people still have homes, cars, and kids of their own they have to pay for. It is also assumed that the schools not doing well is because of the teachers, when it is in the teachers best interest now to have children test high rather than retain anything. In poor schools and especially minority areas, more emphasis is placed on sports and music rather than education. As though the system as just given up and finding another way out. I have even overhear some minorities sinking lower on the education to just assume college will come because of affirmative action, and that scholarships will come because they are a minority rather than merit. I'm sending my children to Finland or Japan, because education is not going to get better here.

With state budgets being cut across the country, education budgets are suffering. Everything is taking a hit, from teacher salaries and jobs to cutting programs. First, I am on the fence about teacher's unions. While they do a good job protecting teachers, they are responsible for bad teachers staying in the school system.

Also, at least in this area, school officials are grossly overpaid. I'll hopefully get into this in a future article, but the superintendent of Prince George's county in MD makes more money per year than the vice president of this country. So when I read that our schools don't have enough money, it really bothers me that school officials would rather cute teacher salaries or school programs than take a pay cut.

Reply

Joseph H.

4/16/2011 12:56:15 pm

If a majority of minorites were actually hip to the idea of going beyond what the media allows them to hear, then they wouldn't be so angry at Marsh and publically bash him. But since that is not the case however, they make themselves seem all the more ignorant on that issue. But I agree that any improvement is better than none for the children. If one more kid per class goes to college then it is a success in my books